Road-cart



- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. SNOWLEY.

ROAD CART.

No. 370,024, Patented Sept. 18, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. SNOWLEY. ROAD CART.

No. 370,024. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

X c d a A5 N PUERS. Pholmhlhogmphon Wnshmglnn. DV (3 UNITED STATES PATENT @EETCE.

JOHN SNOWVLEY, OF CASSOPOLIS, MICHIGAN.

- ROAD-CART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,024, dated September 13, 1887.

Application filed June 11, 1887. Serial No. 240,993. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN SNowLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cassopolis,in the county of Cass and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Carts; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to' the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention in vehicles relates to that class known as road-carts; and it consists in the construction of parts, allowing the vertical adjustment of the body at the front to raise or lower the seat, whereby the weight of the driver may be brought over the axle of the vehicle or thrown back of said axle; also, locating the driver at a proper height for driving either a high or low horse also, in connection therewith the mechanism whereby the body is suspended from the springs mounted on the thills; also, the springs supporting the front of the body, and the safety-straps coupling the body to the axle, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of my invention is to construct a cheap and durable vehicle, one that may be readily adjusted, easy to ride in, and effectually overcoming the horse motion.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is a front perspective of a road-cart embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same, having the wheels and front portion of the thills broken away. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1. Figs. -i, 5, 6, and 7 are enlarged details.

As shown in the drawings, XV represents the wheels; A, the axle; T, the thills; B, the crossbar to the thills; B, the body or box. All of said parts are in common use, and therefore require no special mention.

To the under face of the cross-rail B of the thills I secure one end of each of the springs m by means of bolts 7. The inner ends of said springs are provided with an eye, through which I pass the bolts 2. Said bolts pass through the coupling-plates c0, and like bolts pass through the opposite ends of the plates 0 c and through an eye, 10, formed in the upper end of the adjustable supportingplates N. Said plates are provided with aslot, 2', and are adj ustably attached to the fixed plates Y. The plates Y are attached to the adjacent faces of the body-rails F by means of bolts, and have each a T-shaped stud, e, the neck a" of which works in the slots 2' of the supports or hangers N. (See Figs. 1, 4, and 5.)

4 is a bolt passing through the body-rail F, and then through the plate Y and the slot 1' of the hanger, having on its screw-threaded end a thumb-nut, 6. By loosening the thumb-nuts the front of the body or boot B may be raised orlowered,for the purpose hereinafterset forth.

The supporting-rails F extend under the body and rearward, forming the risers F, to which I attach the seat S. P is an an angle iron or plate attached thereto to strengthen the seat'support.

H is an elbow-iron having a central web, 0, andjournal-bearing box f. The web 0 is let into the body-supports F,being secured thereto by bolts 8, as shown in Fig. 7.

To the body of the thills, and back of the cross-bar B, I attach the rearwardly-extending springs D by means of the bolts a. The upper leaf of each spring at its rear end is turned over upon itself, forming an eye, Z. In said eyes I journal the ends 01 ofthe depending yoke E, attaching to said ends the nuts a, to preventlateral spreading of the springs. (See Fig. 3.) The yoke extends downward and slightly in advance of the axle A, and isjournaled in the boxes f of the angle-iron H, whereby the rear of the body is suspended on the springs D. To the rear corner of the angle-iron H, I attach a loop-iron, n, through which I pass a safety-strap, S, which also en circles the axle A. Said strap is to prevent the body from dropping in case one or both of the springs D should give way or break; and to use the cart for speeding purposes the straps S, of which I use two,are firmly buckled to the axle to take away the action of the springs D.

It will be observed from the foregoing construction that by raising orlowering the front of the body, as before stated, the seat S will be caused to rise and fall; that in rising it is slightly advanced or brought over the axle, and by raising the front of the bodyitis tilted on the yoke E, throwing the seat down and ICO ' slightly back of the axle, as shown by dotted D and m, thus making an easy-riding cart.

In attaching the vehicle to a high horse the front of the body should be lowered by means of the thumb-nuts c and adjustments, hereinafter stated, and by raising the front of the body the seat may be sufficiently lowered for a low horse. m allow the front of the body to rise and fall independently of the rear springs, D.

A single spring may be used in place of the springs m. In such a case it is to be attached at its center to the center of the cross-bar B, its ends being coupled to the adjusting-plate N in the manner described for attaching the spring m; but the construction shown is the one most preferred.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is

1. The combination, with the axle, the thills, the body, the seat, and mechanism coupling said body adjustably to the'springs m, of the springs D, and the yoke j ournaledin the boxes f It will be observed that the springs of the angle-irons and having its ends pivoted to the springs D,with nuts a on the ends of said yoke, as and for the purposes specified.

' 2. In a road-cart, the combination of the axle, the thills, the body having the supportingbars F, the seat mounted thereon, the springs attached to the cross-bar of the thills, the plates N, having the slots 13, the plates 0 c, and bolts coupling the plates N to the springs m, the plates Y, having the studs 6, the bolts and thumb-nuts e,- the springs D, and theyoke pivoted to said springs and having journal-bearings in the boxes f of the angle-irons, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with the axle, thills, body, and seat, of the springs m, the mechanism coupling said springs to the body, the springs D, the yoke having its ends pivoted to the springs D, thej ournal-boxesf, having the yoke journaled therein, and the safety-straps S, as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SNO WLEY.

WVitnesses:

R. B. WHEELER, 0. W. RUssELL. 

